Joseph Clyde Schwantner (born March 22, 1943,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer, educator and a member of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

since 2002. He was awarded the 1970 Charles Ives Prize. Schwantner is prolific, with many works to his credit. His style is coloristic and eclectic, drawing on such diverse elements as French impressionism, African drumming, and

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Do ...

. His orchestral work ''

Aftertones of Infinity ''Aftertones of Infinity'' is a symphonic poem written by the American composer Joseph Schwantner. The work was commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra and completed in 1978. It was first performed by the American Composers Orchestra co ...

'' received the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Biographical information

Schwantner began his musical study at an early age in classical guitar; this study also incorporated the genres of jazz and folk. He also played the tuba in his high school orchestra. His first compositional aspirations were noticed by his guitar teacher who consistently experienced Schwantner elaborating on pieces he would be studying. From this, Schwantner's teacher suggested he collect these ideas and create his own musical composition. One of his earliest compositions was in the jazz idiom. The piece ''Offbeats'' won the National Band Camp Award in 1959.Chute, James. "Schwantner, Joseph." ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and th ...

''. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Remaining in Chicago, he continued his musical study in composition to the city's American Conservatory, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1964. Here, Schwantner studied with Bernard Dieter. He was exposed to and closely explored the music of

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most infl ...

, Bartók, and

Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

. His graduate study also occurred in Chicago, obtaining master of music and doctorate of music degrees in composition from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1966 and 1968 respectively. At Northwestern, he was guided under the tutelage of Alan Stout and Anthony Donato. Building on his experiences at the American Conservatory, Schwantner was engaged by the music of Berio and Rochberg. These influences, along with those from his undergraduate study, will prove to be distinct and effective influences on his compositional output. As a student of composition, Schwantner continued to aspire with three works being recognized with BMI Student Composer Awards. After completing his education, Schwantner obtained an assistant professor position at Pacific Lutheran University in 1968. He moved to a similar position at

Ball State Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...

in 1969 and continued to the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman. It offers Bachelor of Music ...

as a faculty member in 1970. Briefly leaving college academia, Schwantner was composer in residence with the St. Louis Symphony from 1982 to 1984. In 1985, Schwantner's life and music were the subject of a documentary in

WGBH WGBH may refer to: * WGBH Educational Foundation, based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States ** WGBH (FM), a public radio station at Boston, Massachusetts on 89.7 MHz owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation ** WGBH-TV WGBH-TV (channel 2), ...

Boston's ''Soundings'' series. The documentary focused mainly on the composition of his piece ''New Morning for the World'', for narrator and orchestra. His faculty work continued at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

in 1986, and he has currently maintained a position at

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

since 1999. Schwantner retired from his position at Eastman in 1999. His most notable commissions include the song cycle ''Magabunda'' for orchestra in 1983, ''A Sudden Rainbow'' in 1986, the guitar concerto ''From Afar...'' in 1987, and a piano concerto in 1988.

Compositional style

One of Schwantner's early works, ''Diaphonia intervallum'' (1967) distinctly foreshadowed the important style traits that would later exist in his music. Beyond its serial structure such elements as individualized style, pedal points, timbre experimentation, instrumental groupings, and the use of extreme ranges were apparent even at this formative stage of Schwantner's career. Upon his appointment to the faculty of the Eastman School of Music, Schwantner's work ''Consortium I'' was premiered in 1970. This piece clearly illustrates his personal use of serialism, including many twelve-tone rows hidden among the texture and using a specific intervallic structure to provide cohesion. ''Consortium II'' also continued this emphasis on his personal application of serialism. From these works, Schwantner turned from this focus on serialism to delve into the effects of tone color in his compositions. This is clearly noticed in his extended use of percussion instruments. Examples of his use of timbre as an important compositional element are found in ''In aeternum'' (1973) and ''Elixir'' (1976). This can be seen in his larger works for band as well. In ''...and the mountains rising nowhere'' (1977) the six percussionists play a total of 46 instruments in an effort to give the percussion section a more prominent role than what was typical for band works during the 1970s. From this stage he began to also concentrate on obtaining clearer tonal centers in works such as ''Music of Amber'' (1981) and ''New Morning for the World: 'Daybreak of Freedom (1982). Even as he embraces tonal centers, Schwantner resists the very conventional employment of the dominant-tonic relationships and the Western music expansion of that concept. Rather, Schwantner's tonal centers are created by pitch emphasis, perhaps like the American composer

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

in a piece like ''

El Salón México ''El Salón México'' is a symphonic composition in one movement by Aaron Copland, which uses Mexican folk music extensively. Copland began the work in 1932 and completed it in 1936, following several visits to Mexico. The four melodies of th ...

''. His serialism roots even purvey his tonal structures; clearly defined major and minor scales are scarce in Schwantner's music. Instead, he uses pitch sets to establish organization. Schwantner's later works have integrated minimalist elements. This can be seen in his monumental percussion concerto. However, a very present focus on timbre and tone remain quite evident. His scores are published by the Schott Helicon Music Corporation.

Awards

*The ''Charles Ives Scholarship'' from the

(1970) *Four

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Grants (1974–1979) * Kennedy Center Friedheim Competition First Prize (1981) *

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...

in Music (1979) *

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

Nomination for "Best New Classical Composition" (1985) *Grammy Nomination for "Best Classical Composition" (1987) *Honorary

Doctor of Fine Arts Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) is a doctoral degree in fine arts, may be given as an honorary degree (a degree ''honoris causa'') or an earned professional degree (in the UK). Description Doctoral programmes leading to DFAs are of equivalent level ...

from the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

(2019)

Works

Orchestra

*''A Play of Shadows'' for Flute and Chamber Orchestra *''A Sudden Rainbow'' *''

'' (1978) *''Angelfire'' (2002),

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

for Amplified Violin and Orchestra, written for the violinist Anne Akiko Meyers *''Beyond Autumn'',

Poem Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meaning ...

for Horn and Orchestra *Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra (1994) *Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1988) *''Distant Runes and Incantations'' for Piano solo (amplified) and Orchestra *''Dreamcaller'', three Songs for Soprano, Violin solo, and Orchestra *''Evening Land'' Symphony *''Freeflight'', Fanfares & Fantasy *''From Afar...'', Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra *''Magabunda (Witchnomad)'', "four Poems of Agueda Pizarro" for Soprano and Orchestra *''Modus Caelestis'' *''Morning's Embrace'' (2006) *''New Morning for the World "Daybreak of Freedom"'' for Narrator and Orchestra (1982) *''September Canticle'' Fantasy (In Memoriam) *''Toward Light'' *''Chasing Light'' (2008)

Wind ensemble

*''...and the mountains rising nowhere'' (1977) *''From a Dark Millennium'' (1980) *''In evening's stillness...'' (1996) *''Recoil'' (2004) * Percussion Concerto (transcribed by Andrew Boysen) (1997) *''Beyond Autumn'' (transcribed by Timothy Miles) (2006) * New Morning for the World "Daybreak of Freedom" (transcribed by Nikk Pilato) (2007) * Luminosity: Concerto for Wind Orchestra (2015) *''The Awakening Hour'' (2017)

Chamber ensemble

*''Black Anemones'', for soprano and piano *''Canticle of the Evening Bells'', for solo flute, oboe/English horn, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, horn, trombone, piano, percussion, and strings *''Chronicon'', for bassoon and piano *''Consortium I'', for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello *''Consortium II'', for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion *''Distant Runes and Incantations'', for flute, clarinet, 2 violins, viola, cello, piano, and percussion *''Elixir'', for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, and piano *''Diaphonia Intervallum'', for alto saxophone, flute, clarinet, 2 violins, viola, 2 celli, string bass, and piano *''In Aeternum (Consortium IV)'', for cello/bowed crotales, alto flute (flute, piano watergong, 2 crystal glasses), bass clarinet (clarinet, watergong, 2 crystal glasses), viola (violin, crotales), and percussion *''Music of Amber'', for flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion *''Rhiannon's Blackbirds'', for flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin/viola, cello, piano, and percussion *''Soaring'', for flute and piano *''Sparrows'', for flute/piccolo, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, soprano, and percussion

Solo

* ''Velocities (Moto Perpetuo)'' for solo marimba (1990)

Representative performances

*University of Michigan Band, 8 March 2012 *Michael Haithcock, conductor *Jonathan Ovalle, percussion *The President's Own United States Marine Band: The Bicentennial Collection *The Lamont Wind Ensemble *Dr. Joseph Martin, conductor *Mayor Michael B. Hancock, guest narrator *Florida State University Wind Orchestra *Dr. Nikk Pilato, conductor *Dr. David Eccles, narrator
''From A Dark Millennium''
*North Texas Wind Symphony *Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor

Selected discography

''The Music of Joseph Schwantner'' (1997) *Velocities *Concerto for Percussion and Wind Orchestra *New Morning for the World *The National Symphony Orchestra,

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The in ...

, percussion and solo marimba, Leonard Slatkin, conductor *BMG Classics/RCA Red Seal CD 09026-68692-2 ''From Afar..."A Fantasy for Guitar" and "American Landscapes"'' (1987) *Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Sharon Isbin, guita, Hugh Wolff, conductor *Virgin Classics CDC 7243-5-55083-2-4 ''New Morning for the World'' for narrator and orchestra *The Eastman Philharmonia Orchestra, Willie Stargell, narrator, David Effron, music director *Mercury 2890411 031-1 ''New Morning for the World "Daybreak of Freedom"'' (1982) *Oregon Symphony, Raymond Bazemore, narrator, James DePreist, conductor *Koch International Classics CD 3-7293-2H1 ''From a Dark Millennium "Dream Catchers"'' (1981) *North Texas Wind Symphony, Eugene Corporon, conductor *Klavier Records KCD 11089 ''In Evening's Stillness..."Wind Dances"'' (1996) *North Texas Wind Symphony, Eugene Corporon, conductor *Klavier Records KCD 11084 ''...and the mountains rising nowhere'' (1977) *The Eastman Wind Ensemble *Donald Hunsberger, music director *Sony Records SK 47198 ''From a Dark Millennium'' (1981) *Ithaca College Wind Ensemble, Rodney Winther, conductor *Ithaca College School of Music *Mark Records, Inc MCBS 35891

Notable students

References

External links

*
Schwantner page
at The Wind Repertory Project

March 13, 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwantner, Joseph 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Pulitzer Prize for Music winners 1943 births Living people American people of German descent Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters American Conservatory of Music alumni 21st-century American composers 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Eastman School of Music faculty